Monday, September 12, 2011

Many student's ask how they can pay for college without having to fall into the hands of debt. Well I have one solution, this will not work for everyone but it should help a lot of future college students. My solution is just save your money before you actually enter college. During my senior year of high school, I decided to finally start getting ready for college, I decided it was time to start saving for it. I didn't get started getting ready for college until the summer before my senior year when I actually started looking at schools, I had always planned on going to college, I just never put the plan into place until my last year of high school and yes I did go to college that fall the same year I graduated high school, so it all worked out. I never asked my parent (yes one parent not two, sorry I was raised by one parent) if they would pay for my school or if I had to but I knew the status of my parent's income and knew that I also had younger siblings that in just literally a couple more years would be going to college as well, so I decided that my senior year I was going to save for my school. To explain how I saved and how much, I opened a new sub account in my existing account at my bank so I could easily keep track without having to figure out numbers how much I had specifically for college. I started at the beginning of the school year and never had an end date, each week I put in $100 into that sub account specifically made for my college savings. By the end of the school year I had $3500 in that one sub account, it put me through 2 years of my schooling, and of course it depends on where you go to school but yes I did go to a university. Now I didn't quit after those 2 years just cause I ran out of money, I finally went to loans but saving did cut a huge chunk out of what I would be paying if I never did save, which brings me to my next recommendation, start saving at least your freshman year of high school, sooner than that would probably be even better. It only took me one year of saving to pay for 2 years of college but if I had started saving back when I was a sophmore, when I first got my job, then I know I wouldn't be struggling like I am now, so please do your self a favor, ask your parents if they plan on pitching in any money for you to go to college, or if they pay it all for you then be very thankful and don't let it go to waste because there are many of us that would love to have to work only the bare minimum just to support ourselves and focus most on our schooling rather than school and how we're going to pay for this, this, this, this, and this; and start saving your money, you wont regret it.